Missing Ocala man found alive in Goethe State Forest

A missing Ocala man who disappeared earlier this month in rural Levy County was found alive in the Goethe State Forest Tuesday afternoon, the Levy County Sheriff's Office reported.

By Lise FisherStaff Writer

A missing Ocala man who disappeared earlier this month in rural Levy County was found alive in the Goethe State Forest Tuesday afternoon, the Levy County Sheriff's Office reported.Officer Paul Langford with the Department of Agriculture found the 51-year-old man at about 4 p.m. walking about one mile north of where his vehicle was found parked earlier this month in the forest.The Sheriff's Office described the man as emotionally distraught and dehydrated.He was taken to Nature Coast Regional Hospital and would be held under the provisions of the Baker Act, deputies reported.The man was last seen by his roommate leaving their home April 15 around 7:45 a.m. The roommate thought the man was headed to work, but he never showed up.The man's disappearance became public on April 23 when his car was discovered. The Sheriff's Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Agriculture launched a search, which has involved more than 30 officers, six canine teams, all-terrain vehicles and two helicopters.The man had been listed as an endangered adult after a relative told investigators he had been diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction. The condition makes it difficult for him to process information he receives from his senses.

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